Fantastic Four
by Lschults17
Summary: An adventurous Redguard, An Orc striving to be a warrior, A Dark Elf slowly mastering spells, and a sneaky Argonian. These four characters will become the most unlikely of friends and must save Tamriel from numerous existing threats. (Takes place 200 years after the events of TES V: Skyrim)
1. Chapter 1

**The way that I will write this story is that before these four people meet each other, each one of them will have their own story going. There will be one story per character each chapter, until they find each other and it will all become one story. If you're confused, please private message me.**

* * *

"Rough day, Angnel?" Her brother Stanvar asks her. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

Angnel shook her head then began to speak. "We can't keep living like this, Stanvar. You have to get a job soon."

"Being Redguards in the middle of the Alik'r Desert doesn't exactly help to provide many jobs." Stanvar frowned.

"I can't keep going out and roaming caves and ruins to find gold for us to get by. Every time I make it out alive I thank the Divines that I'm not dead. We either have to find a new place to live or find new jobs. What's your choice?"

"I hear the economy in Skyrim is great, It's kind of far away from here though. What do you want to do?"

Angnel stroked her long dark hair as she looked out the only window in the small home. What was the point of living in the middle of the desert anyway, she thought. She was nearly a grown woman and her brother was essentially a grown man. She figured it was time to take a risk.

"Well, brother," she began. "This is about as bad as it can get already. We're pretty much poor and we have no other choice. Let's take the long trip to Skyrim. I have enough experience from adventuring to get us there quickly and safely. We'll leave the house tomorrow morning. I'll pack us some food, clothes, and weapons. Let's get some rest."

Stanvar smiled and picked up his tankard of mead. "Cheers to a better life."

Angnel immediately filled up a cup for herself and repeated what her brother had said. "Cheers to a better life."

With that, the Redguards packed up their supplies and entered their slumber.

* * *

Durgon grabbed his pick axe and entered the mine of Narzulbur. It was a nearly empty mine at this point. Pockets of ebony ore were now just plain stone.

"Why are we mining anyway?" Durgon asked out loud. "Shouldn't we be fighting to honor Malacath?"

"It is not fighting that pleases Malacath, child," Durgon's mother Mazgash stated. "It is bravery and hard work."

"There's not gonna be anymore work to do considering this mine is going completely dry, mother." Durgon exited the mine and entered the Chieftan's quarters. It was dark out, so the chieftan was fast asleep.

Durgon stole an Orcish war hammer and a full set of Orcish armor from beside the Chieftan's bed. After that, Durgon not only escaped the quarters, but he also left the stronghold.

He had never had a good relationship with anyone there, including his mother, even after living there for eighteen years.

"Don't worry, Malacath," Durgon said. "There are still true sons like me that know what you want. I am going to deliver for you. I am confirming my faith."

Durgon could feel the cold air on his head since he was bald everywhere but the middle, a black Mohawk running down his cranium. He was used to the cold though, after eighteen years of living in Skyrim he began to get used to things.

As Durgon roamed down the road, he spotted an old orc standing next to a tree.

"Hello," the orc greeted him.

"Hello," Durgon replied. "Need Something?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," the old orc said. "I want a proper death. I have lived long enough in this world, and it is time for me to go."

Durgon realized the oppurtunity presented for him. "I would be willing to give you that death," he said. "You want for your life to end, and my life is only just beginning."

* * *

"Now...focus..." Brelusa's mentor, Satlos told her. "Aim for the mannequin to your right and then release your power."

Brelusa followed the order as a fireball escaped from her hand and obliterated the mannequin. She smiled and bowed to Satlos.

"Very well done, my friend!" He exclaimed. "And since we're Dunmer, we are able to learn destruction magic much more quickly. You will be an expert mate in no time."

"Thank you, Master Satlos," she said, hiding a smile behind her hood. "Perhaps it's time we-" Satlos immediately fell over as an ice spike was infused into his shoulder.

"Go!" Satlos exclaimed. "If you want to learn more go to the College of Winterhold in Skyrim! There's nothing else here to do in Morrowind. Save yourself!"

Shock and sadness are what flowed through Brelusa after Satlos' death. She wanted to get revenge on whoever killed her mentor first, but she had always done what Satlos had told her to do first.

That's why she was headed to Winterhold.

* * *

Talen-Kur, an Argonian from the Black Marsh was escaping from his homeland. He had been a thief there for far too long, resulting in finally getting caught.

He was headed for Skyrim. He knew it was as far away from Argonian as he could get. Lucky for him, he had no family to worry about in the first place. He didn't even feel guilty about his crimes.

"As long as I'm not killing anyone," he says, "Then I feel no emotion. Stealing makes me happy though."

He was already halfway through Cyrodil.

* * *

 **Sorry for making the last two people have extremely short sections, I'm just kind of eager to get this story up. There will be more insight on everyone in later chapters. Thanks for reading and leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Stanvar grabbed a glass bottle of water from his backpack and began to chug.

"Stop that!" Angnel screamed, nearly knocking the bottle out of his hands. "We're barely halfway through the desert, you can't be chugging water like that. Conserve it"

"I'm sorry," Stanvar said. "It's just so hot out here."

Angnel frowned. She knew her brother suffered from a condition that reduced his ability to deal with the heat, and not even being a Redguard helped him with it.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, Stanvar. Sometimes I forget about your problem. I won't freak out as much next time."

As the siblings continued to walk through the desert, Angnel spotted something in the distance. She signaled for her brother to also look at what she saw. It looked like a small brown item sticking out of the ground.

"You see that?" She asked. "Do you think that's a road sign? One that was covered in sand? Maybe a road sign leading into Skyrim?"

"I'd like to be hopeful," Stanvar replied. "But we just left the house a mere two hours ago. Plus, we'd see the wall separating Hammerfell's border. I don't think we're close yet."

"I guess you're right. Let's go see what that object is anyway." They hurried over as the ground began to shake.

The brownish object raised rather quickly, and the siblings were stunned at what it was.

"Stanvar!" Angnel yelled. "We have to run! Now!"

The object was no road sign. It turned out to be a buried Dwarven Centurion. The huge robotic device moved fast for how much metal it was made of.

Stanvar stood, stunned-amazed at the sight he was seeing. After being stuck in that small home in the desert for so many years, this was the first thing he found interesting in a very long time.

"This thing is amazin-" Stanvar was interrupted as the Centurion punched him with its Dwarven metal arm.

"Stanvar!" Angnel cried. She did not hesitate at all to run back to her brother and throw him over her shoulder. He wasn't dead yet, but he was knocked out.

"Damn you, brother," she whispered as she ran away from the Centurion. The heat and pain from carrying Stanvar for too long was going to take its toll on her body.

She wasn't petite, but she wasn't heavily built either. As she caught her breath, she found an abandoned settlement of tents and bed rolls. Beside them was a cave.

Angnel set her brother on one of the bed rolls and his him behind a rock. She didn't want to risk him getting taken by anything, though she doubted there would be anything else in the middle of the desert.

"I'm gonna find you a healing potion," Angnel said, then she entered the cave.

* * *

After Durgon killed the old orc, he wondered what to do. He wanted to fight, but he wasn't sure where to start.

He thought about joining the Companions, but told himself he wanted to be a lone warrior. As his thoughts shifted, he heard a growl from behind him.

The Sabre Cat was enormous. It would be Durgon's first true test. He readied his war hammer as the feline jumped at him.

He let the Sabre Cat fly over his head so that he had time to get in the right position. His war hammer was lifted above his head, and as the Sabre Cat charged, he let his weapon strike the animal.

 _Crack!_ The Sabre Cat's skull was bashed in sideways, making the Orc proud. After his kill, he figured it was time to get some sleep. After many years of living in Narzulbur, Durgon had mastered skinning animals, forging weapons, and mining ore.

He used his skinning skills to remove the Sabre Cat's felt and used it as a blanket that night. He slept under a cove that was close to the road.

* * *

Brelusa made it to Skyrim extremely quickly, thanks to the teleportation spells she had learned back in Morrowind. The only problem was that she had no idea where she was at.

She spotted a body nearby, and went to investigate whether the person was alive or not. It looked like a dead Orc. She flipped the body over and checked if he was just sleeping.

The Orc woke up and freaked out. "What the hell!" He got up and moved back a few steps from Brelusa.

Brelusa put her hands up. "Woah! Please try and calm down for a minute...I was just trying to see if you were alive or not. I guess you're a heavy sleeper. I just need help. What's your name?"

"I'm Durgon," The Orc replied. "I'd be glad to help you. I don't have any other path to take. What's yours? And what do you need help with?"

"You can call me Brelusa." She smiled. "I came here from Morrowind...My mentor and I...We were attacked by people. I still don't know who they were. Anyways, I was told to go to the College of Winterhold. I'm still trying to master my magic. Which way do I go to get there?"

"Your mentor..." Durgon began. "He didn't make it, did he?"

Brelusa hid her frown behind her hood. "No. He was killed."

"I'm sorry. I recently left people behind as well. Very recently, in fact. But the difference between us is that I did it for my own good. As for the College, I believe it's northeast of here. We're in Eastmarch right now."

"Eastmarch is the name of the hold, correct?" Brelusa questioned.

"Yeah, it is. I have a map with me if you want to use it." Durgon pulled out the map and pointed to Winterhold. "I'll guide you there if you wish."

"It would be lovely to have some backup," Brelusa replied. "To the College, then!"

* * *

Talen-Kur had finished crossing through Cyrodil and approached the border of Skyrim. Two guards patrolled the gate.

"Hello, guards," Talen-Kur greeted them. "I want to cross the border."

"You must pay the fee then," an Imperial guard said.

Talen-Kur sighed. He hated giving up money. "Fine. How much?"

"It will cost you four thousand gold," the guard said.

"Are you insane?!" Talen-Kur shouted. "Four thousand Septims to enter a bloody province? I'll be leaving then. Goodbye."

Talen-Kur was going to wait until nighttime and climb the mountains to illegally enter Skyrim. Paying four thousand Septims to enter a country would essentially be the same as paying off his bounty in Argonia, so what was the point?

As the moon was up and about, Talen-Kur began his task. He had made it to a nearly secluded location in the mountains and began his climb.

His brown reptilian skin had a hard time adapting to the cold environment. As he climbed further up the mountain, he could barely take it anymore.

"Dammit!" He screeched. "I can't go on." But he changed his mine wants he saw a cave to his right. Lucky for him, this cave turned out to be a pass that lead straight into Skyrim.

Little did he know this pass would be invested with Draugr.

* * *

 **Quick recap: Brelusa and Durgon have found each other, so for now they'll be sharing their own section. Next chapter I plan on having more people meeting/possibly adding some new characters. Comment your favorite character so far in the reviews (I know it's kind of hard to have a favorite at this point since they're all kind of underdeveloped so far).**


	3. Chapter 3

The cave that Angnel entered turned out to be an ancient Dwemer ruin, explaining why a Dwarven Centurion was found nearby.

She did not want to investigate the whole cave, instead she was in dire need of saving her brother by retrieving a healing potion.

The cave was the only sign of structure in the part of the desert that they were in. This was her only choice to save Stanvar.

She was angry at herself-almost furious- that she hadn't thought to bring any potions with her on the journey, but she was good at pretending she had no regrets, so she continued searching through the ruins.

She climbed down a flight of stairs revealing a large open area. The scene once again shifted and went from Dwemer ruin to cave. At the bottom was a hole of quicksand, and Angnel did not realize how high she was.

She stood on a cliff at least two hundred feet from the bottom. There was no way down and she still hadn't discovered the potion she was searching for. She stood for a minute and thought about what to do.

Angnel fell extremely fast, heading straight to the bottom of the pit as she spotted the bandit that pushed her out of the corner of her eye. Before the quicksand consumed her, she grabbed a fragile rock structure and tried to stay up as long as possible.

"Damn you!" She shouted, worrying if the bandit had already taken care of Stanvar.

"I'm sorry!" The bandit shouted back. "But I know the exact reason you're in here. For the treasure. After all, only one person can have it, and I won't hesitate to slay anyone for I can retrieve it!"

"Fool!" She screamed. "I'm not here for the treasure! I just need a healing potion!"

"For what?" The bandit replied. "Your friend in the tent? He's long dead."

Angnel didn't fall into depression, but into rage. "I'm gonna fucking kill you when I find you!"

The Dunmer bandit laughed. "Ha! You'll be dead as soon as that rock you're hanging on breaks off that cliff. Ta ta!" The bandit left the ledge.

Angnel let go of the rock and hoped she survived the fall. Lucky for her, she not only landed safely, but spotted a path next to the quicksand hole.

She knew the bandit was headed straight for the treasure, so she was going to try and find it and wait for him to enter the room.

The path led straight back into Dwemer ruins. A spider jumped out of one of the tubes and Angnel pulled out her Scimitar and slashed it.

She caught her breath as she pulled up her hair and threw it behind her head in a ponytail. She hurried down a ramp and saw a Dwarven door covered in sand.

She attempted to open the door but the sand was too heavy and the door wouldn't budge. Luckily there was a spot where the door was weakened, so she repeatedly bashed into it, trying to form a hole. Eventually, a hole opened up, but it was extremely small.

Angnel attempted to crawl through it-and she succeeded, but ended up getting thrashed numerous times by metal, leaving her body scarred with cuts.

When she got through the hole, the only thing in front of her was an enormous door, no doubt the door leading to the room containing the treasure. The room she was going to get her vengeance in. She pulled a lever as the door came open. Inside the room was a treasure chest being guarded by a Dwarven Sphere.

She pulled out her Scimitar and attempted to defeat the advanced metal sphere. She tried to stay back so that the sphere couldn't lunge at her, but it put her at a disadvantage because the sphere shot crossbow bolts from a distance.

She decided to take a risk and charge at the sphere. The weak spot was its back, for she could see the soul gem potentially operating the robot. She slashed the soul gem in half, causing the sphere to fall.

Angnel realized there was only one entrance into the room where she was now, so that meant the bandit would have to come the same way she did. She sat on top of the chest, waiting for her enemy to appear.

As soon as Angnel had doubts that he wasn't going to show up, the bandit had a few words to say.

"Well, well, well," the Dunmer began. "I'm impressed that you're alive. In fact, I wanted to thank you for clearing a path for me to get here. Now my only obstacle is killing you."

"That makes two of us," Angnel replied, readying her sword. The bandit filled his hands with balls of fire. He shot two balls at her as she dodged both. She charged at him and spun her sword, but he also dodged.

The bandit then grabbed Angnel's shoulder while his fire was still equipped, and roasted her flesh.

"Gah!" She shouted in pain, then out of pure anger shoved her sword into the bandit's neck. He fell over and she threw him out of the way.

Limping and coughing, Angnel approached the chest and opened it. Inside it were five hundred Septims, two rubies, and a healing potion.

Angnel drank the healing potion herself. "I'm sorry brother," she said to herself. "I would've given this to you if you had survived." She began to feel her flesh replenish and pulled a chain nearby that revealed an opening back outside. She trotted outside and realized how far away she was from the spot she had entered.

She was going to get Stanvar's body and bury him, but told herself she didn't want to feel anymore pain for the day. It was time for some goodness to come out of it.

And surprisingly so, it did. After about two more hours of walking, Angnel had made it across the border and entered Skyrim. She entered the nearest inn-Dead Man's Drink in Falkreath-and rented a room. It was time for her to finally rest.

* * *

"So, what's your story?" Brelusa asked as the Orc and Dark Elf walked along the road.

"My story, eh?" Durgon said. "There ain't much to tell, really. I lived at a stronghold called Narzulbur all eighteen years of my life. I just left yesterday. It was boring there, all we ever did was mine. Me, I wanted to fight. That's why I'm out here, adventuring, helping people. Living a better life. What about you? Any more information I should know other than you wanting to become a Mage?"

"Well...I'm an orphan. I was born in Morrowind without parents or family. Except Satlos, but we had no genetic connection. He was essentially a father to me, and I'll never forget that. I was with him my full sixteen years of life trying to master my magic, and I'm going to continue trying to master it in honor of him. Other than that, I really can't say anymore."

"I hope we can find new friends for you at the College then," Durgon replied, trying to cheer her up. He could tell that talking about Satlos made her upset.

"What about you, Durgon?" She said. "Don't you want to have a destiny?"

"I'm fulfilling it right now, my friend," He said. "As long as I'm out here adventuring, not locked up somewhere, then I'm happy. It's all I need."

"You should stay with me when we get to the College," Brelusa mentioned. "I don't want to be there and not know anyone."

Durgon sighed. "Look, I have no interest in becoming a Mage, but I'll stay with you for a day or two if you really want me to."

"Thank you!" Brelusa cheered in joy. The two friends stood on the snowy ground as they passed Windhelm. "Look! You see that?" Brelusa pointed a finger to the north. "That looks like the College! We're almost there!"

"Yep," Durgon stated. "That's the College, for sure." They stood for a minute admiring its elegance. "Well?" Durgon said. "What are we waiting for? Let's be on our way!"

* * *

Talen-Kur took an Ancient Nord bow from a Draugr that was already killed when he entered the pass. Luckily, he already had a full quiver of arrows, so he wouldn't have to search for any while inside the pass.

He continued through the hall and spotted two Draugr, their backs turned to him, guarding a door. Talen-Kur tried to think of a way to kill them both at once.

He had no option, so his plan was to kill one of them, quickly reload his bow, and shoot the other one.

His new plan worked out perfectly. The two Draugr collapsed to the floor as Talen-Kur walked through the ruins and approached the door.

He crossed his fingers that the door would lead to Skyrim. But it didn't. It just led through more Nordic Ruins.

Talen-Kur sighed as he continued to stealthily and slowly make his way through the pass, killing Draugr after Draugr, until finally he found the door he was looking for. He was finally in Skyrim.

"Brr!" He said to himself as he shivered on top of a mountain ledge. "Should've dressed properly. It's chilly up here." He wore only a pair of leather armor. On top of the ledge though, Talen-Kur got a nice view of a village in the distance. "Beautiful day to make some coin" He was going to begin stealing precious items again. He knew it was ironic that he left Argonia because he was a thief, but he thought he might be able to get away with it in Skyrim.

He made it to the village at about 4:00 AM and entered an inn called "Dead Man's Drink."

He made his way into one of the rooms and spotted a Redguard woman fast asleep in her bed. He decided to pick the lock on the chest next to her dresser.

The woman must have heard him, because she shouted, "Hey!" Alarming Talen-Kur to stop picking the lock.

"Shh..." He said calmly, as he shut the door behind him. "Listen, I don't want any trouble. I'll leave your valuables alone as long as you don't say a word about this." He approached the door, but the Redguard stopped him.

"Wait!" She said. "I'm Angnel. I need help. Who are you?"

"My name is Talen-Kur. I don't know if I can help very much. I'm new to Skyrim."

"As am I," Angnel replied. "Maybe we can be friends if you stop trying to steal my stuff."

* * *

 **A few things I wanted to say: 1) I apologize for all the typos. I read back on all the chapters and realized how many there are. I hope they don't make anything too confusing. I type on an iPad and it's kind of laggy so it's hard to avoid. I'll probably edit these chapters and fix the typos. 2) Leave reviews and tell me what you guys would like to see in the story later/criticism that tells me what I can improve on. Thanks so much for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

"You're damn lucky I didn't slice your heart out back there," Angnel told Talen-Kur as they walked the streets of Falkreath hold.

"Once a thief, always a thief," Talen-Kur replied, shrugging his shoulders. "What do you need help with, anyway?"

"Well, I was going to ask for help around Skyrim, but I guess you can't help out with that, so right now I guess I'm just looking for work."

"Are you from Hammerfell?" Talen-Kur asked. "What brings you to Skyrim?"

"Well..." Angnel began. "My brother and I, we lived in the middle of the desert. We needed to find jobs but there was nothing around us. We survived because I was always scavenging nearby caves and ruins for supplies. We decided to come to Skyrim to get jobs so that I didn't have to risk dying anymore, but it cost my brother's life. He was killed by a bandit after he got wounded by a Dwarven Centurion. He killed him while I was searching a cave for a healing potion. What about you? What's an Argonian doing way out here?"

"I don't exactly have a great reputation back in the Black Marsh. By the time I left, everyone knew I was a thief, so I came here so I could start over."

"I don't think stealing things here exactly counts as 'starting over.'"

"You're right. I just can't control it. I guess it's in my bloodline. Anyways, shall we begin our new lives?"

"We shall. Let's just walk for a while and see what comes up. Maybe we'll run into a city along the way."

Talen-Kur and Angnel saw the sun rise as they continued through the forest. A Khajiit approached them out of the trees.

"This one wants your valuables," the cat said. "Hand them over, or you both die."

"I'm not giving you anything, cat," Talen-Kur told him. "Move along so we don't cause any problems."

"This one will pry them off your corpse then!" The khajiit shouted as he lunged at Talen-Kur.

Angnel unsheathed her sword and attempted to duel the Khajiit. As their swords repeatedly clanked with each other, Talen Kur yelled "Look out!" As Angnel dodged the arrow that struck the Khajiit right between the eyes.

Talen-Kur stood over the dead body and stared. "You okay?" Angnel asked.

"I guess," he said. "It's...it's been a while since I killed a person."

"Understandable, I guess. I killed someone very recently."

"The bandit that killed your brother."

"Huh?"

"That's the person you killed, wasn't it?"

"Of course it was. If someone murdered a relative, wouldn't you want to avenge them?"

"Not exactly." Talen-Kur sighed. "I don't like killing people. Not even if it's for a good cause. It just makes me feel queasy. Especially when I think of the fact that they might have family too, and they're worrying about their relative."

"It's kind of weird how you feel bad about killing people but have no emotion when it comes to stealing stuff."

"It's just different. Maybe I steal because I don't want to go into caves and dungeons and kill people for their money."

Angnel felt like he was mocking her, but she ignored him.

"Look at that." Angnel pointed to a road sign. "It says Whiterun on it. Maybe we're close, I would assume it's a city. Shall we check it out?"

"Of course we should," Talen-Kur said. "Let's get there as soon as possible."

* * *

When Durgon and Brelusa made it to Winterhold, they could see something major happening at the College. It looked like an aura of lights and rocks were collapsing from the sky.

"We have to see what's going on!" Brelusa yelled.

"Let's find out," Durgon said, knowing he would have another chance to save lives.

They ran up the walkway and entered the college. Hooded mages attacked the College students. Durgon knew immediately that the hooded mages were the enemy.

He pulled out his war hammer and swung at one of them from behind, hearing a snap as the mage's spine cracked in half.

Brelusa shot fireballs at mages but continued to miss because they were fast, but mainly because her nervousness was making her hands shake.

Once the area was clear, Brelusa ran to Durgon. "We have to go inside and see what's happening," she said. "Maybe we can save some people."

They attempted to open the door but it was locked shut. Brelusa performed her flames spell which burnt the door right open. They entered the Hall of Elements and couldn't believe their eyes.

A High Elf surrounded by an aura of blue light floated in the middle of the room. Once he saw Brelusa, he swooped down onto the ground.

"I knew it would come to this," He said. "You don't know who I am, do you?" The question was directed towards Brelusa.

She could barely speak. She was stunned at all the dead bodies on the floor. "You-" she began to speak. "You're the one... You're the one who killed Satlos...Why though?...Why are you killing so many mages?"

The High Elf smiled. "I won't tell you anything other than yes, I killed your mentor and you can call me Slayer. You're next. Not yet though...when the time comes." Slayer disappeared into nothingness.

Brelusa looked at Durgon. "He's not killing the mages for nothing...It's got to be something big." The College began to shake. It was falling to the ground.

"Come on," Durgon shouted. "We can talk after we escape!" Durgon grabbed Brelusa and when they got outside they had to make a jump from the bridge to the ground. Durgon made it over safely, as Brelusa jumped and grabbed a ledge. Durgon pulled her up and a guard ran over to them.

"By the Gods! The College of Winterhold, collapsing right before out eyes. Are you two alright? What happened in there?" The guard asked.

"There was a High Elf in there...He's planning something big. I know it. I bet he has an army. If he can single handedly destroy the College, imagine what he can do with an army. We have to stop him!"

"Report to Whiterun immediately," the guard said. "Perhaps the court wizard has an idea of who the High Elf is. Good luck. We'll take it from here."


	5. Chapter 5

Talen-Kur spotted the city they had been looking for and pointed down a hill. "That must be Whiterun," he said.

"Wow...looks nice. Weird place for a city, in the middle of the plains," Angnel said.

"I assume it's in the middle of Skyrim, making it a good place to put a city. Plus it must have been easy to build on all this flatland."

"Yeah, whatever," Angnel said. "What are we even going to do when we get there?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to get some sleep. I haven't slept in nearly a week."

"I just took a rest. I'll be looking for work I guess."

Talen-Kur and Angnel approached the city gate. "The Jarl doesn't let just anybody in here," a guard said.

"We're just travelers," Angnel said. "My friend here needs rest, and I'm looking for some work to do."

"Aye. Come on in then. I'm sure the Jarl has plenty of missions for you to make some coin off of. We'll be keeping an eye on newcomers, though. Especially considering what has been going on..."

"What do you mean?" Talen-Kur asked.

"There's this group of mages," the guard went on. "They're destroying everything in Skyrim. Not just here, though, but everywhere in Tamriel. Something big is going on. They must be stopped!"

"They destroyed something else too." A voice from behind told the three people. It was a Brelusa. "The College of Winterhold has fallen."

"By the gods..." The guard said in fear. "You best head up to Dragonsreach and tell the Jarl what is going on. Were you there when it collapsed?"

"We were there," Durgon said. "And we got to see what we're dealing with. This...'slayer's' thralls aren't very powerful. Their leader, however, he is the big threat. Anytime someone gets close to him, he will disappear. He's going to be awfully hard to kill."

"That's...understandable," the guard said. "Now hurry on to Dragonsreach. All four of you."

When they entered the palace, it was empty. And the Jarl was not in his throne **.**

* * *

 **I truly apologize for how short this chapter is. I'm just really busy today and didn't have much time, and I like to get at least one chapter out per day. Thanks for reading though!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Why would the guard send us up here, anyway?" Angnel asked. "For you two it makes sense since you were at the scene of an attack." She pointed to Durgon and Brelusa. "But we told him we were just travelers."

"That doesn't matter right now," Durgon said. "Where the hell is everyone? More importantly, where is the Jarl?!"

"Dragonsreach seems like a big palace," Talen-Kur said. "Let's search thouroghly before we make the assumption that he's gone."

Brelusa cast a detect life spell in search of the Jarl, but the only people that were detected were the ones looking for him.

She walked up the stairs that led to the door to the balcony in the upper level of the palace. "Guys! I think I found something!" Brelusa shouted.

Talen-Kur, Angnel, and Durgon all hurried up to her. "What is it?" Angnel asked.

"Look," Brelusa said as she pointed to the ground. It revealed some sort of blue rune onto the ground.

"You have the most knowledge of magic out of all of us," Durgon said to Brelusa. "Do you know what it means?"

"I've never seen anything like it before in my life," she replied. "This looks extremely complicated...it would take weeks-maybe even months before I found out what it is."

"That's not good," Angnel said. "We can't wait that long. I say we have someone take their chances and touch it to see what it does."

"Are you insane?" Talen-Kur replied. "Someone could possibly get killed by it...maybe even worse. I won't let anyone get near it."

"Step aside, Argonian," Angnel replied to him. "I'll get near it."

"No!" Talen-Kur shouted, but when he tried to push Angnel out of the way, he himself fell into the rune.

Angnel, Brelusa, and Durgon watched in fear as they proceeded to see what was going to happen to Talen-Kur.

His body got lifted into thin air, he was surrounded by a lightning cloak for a few seconds, then he fell back down. He had survived, but went through some traumatic changes.

"I-I can't see out of my right eye anymore," Talen-Kur said.

"You need to tell us everything you can remember," Brelusa said. "Don't think too hard though, you might hurt yourself."

"I was teleported somewhere," he said. "There was this man. He told me that if I didn't serve him, he'd punish me. I refused of course, I assume that's why I was zapped and why my vision is half gone. I pray to the Divines that that's my only punishment."

"What did this man look like?" Durgon asked.

"He was tall, had a long brown beard, and wore a-" Talen-Kur stopped his sentence.

"What? What is it?" Brelusa asked, worried.

"He wore a crown with the symbol of Whiterun engraved into it," Talen-Kur finished.

Brelusa was stunned. "Oh no," she said. "I think I know exactly what's going on." She searched her memories. "That symbol, on the rune, that's the symbol of possesion..." She looked at her three new friends. "That person in your vision was the Jarl...but he's possessed. I can almost guarantee that Slayer did this."

"How do we get the Jarl back?" Durgon asked.

"We don't even know where he is right now," Brelusa said. "And even if we did find him, we would have to find a way to stop the curse that was put on him. It's nearly useless to help him at this point."

"What can we do then?" Angnel asked. "I'm certainly not going to wait here for these damn mages to take over Tamriel."

"We need to find a decent sized colony of these Mages," Brelusa explained. "Maybe one of their thralls has a journal or research notes."

"Or we can torture them and make them pay until they spit out the information we're looking for," Durgon suggested.

"No," Brelusa said. "We need to do this stealthily. We can't let them know we're after them. They'll be prepared."

"Stealth, you say?" Talen-Kur barged in. "I think I can be of great use."

"Good," Angnel said. "If the Jarl was captured not long ago, these Mages can't be too far away from the city. I would assume they're in a cave or an Ancient Nord Ruin nearby. Shall we start searching?"

"Not all of us are going," Brelusa said. "Some of us need to stay here in case the city is attacked. It will be weakened without a Jarl. It would be a perfect time for the Mages to attack."

"I'll go with the Argonian and help him search these caves," Durgon said. "Brelusa, you stay here with the Redguard."

"That reminds me," Brelusa said. "We never exchanged each other's names. I'm Brelusa of Morrowind."

"Durgon of Narzulbur."

"Angnel of Hammerfell."

"Talen-Kur of the Black Marsh."

"All right," Brelusa said. "So we all know each other now. Let's get started."


	7. Chapter 7

"I bet there's a cave by the river over there." Talen-Kur pointed east.

"What are we waiting for then?" Durgon asked. "Let's hurry over." He ran and then paused. "Oh, one more thing. I'm not exactly sure how 'stealthily' I can do this. My armor is clanky and will make a lot of noise, plus I don't have a bow."

"It's fine. I'll just lead the way. I have a bow. If things get out of hand or they find us, we can't do anything about it. Close range combat will have to be the answer."

"We shouldn't worry about it right now, we haven't even found the mages yet. Who knows if they'll even be near here?"

"Well, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Talen-Kur pointed to a crevice in a mountain. "Check it out. Let's head in that cave."

Durgon followed Talen-Kur into the cavern. When they entered, they realized that there were signs of life. There were chairs, tables, and bookshelves inside.

"Someone's been living here. Or camping here. Either way, we need to find them," Durgon said.

They walked up a dirt path and found an opening that revealed a whole new portion of the cave.

As they crouched and walked through the opening, Talen-Kur gave Durgon the hand signal to stop moving. "I hear people talking. Let me make out what they're saying."

"Slayer needs us at High Gate Ruins as soon as possible!" A voice was heard. "Attacking Whiterun is useless. We need to get away from this place. Staying here is not a good idea. We should meet with him and build up forces before we start attacking major cities like this."

"No!" Another voice shouted back. "Slayer himself took out the College of Winterhold. I bet he could destroy Whiterun with ease. I'm staying here."

"Fine!" The first voice shouted back. "But the College of Winterhold falling was only a strike of luck. Slayer even told that to me. He was surprised with what he did, and he doubts he'd be able to do it again. He says it would take weeks before he could build up power like that again."

The second voice sighed. "We'll go to High Gate Ruins at dawn then. Let's get some sleep first." After the argument, they stopped speaking to each other.

"We have to kill everyone here," Durgon said.

"Agreed," Talen-Kur replied. "Let's still do it quietly. Just in case any of them try to escape and tell Slayer what we did here."

Durgon nodded as they began to move forward again. Talen-Kur spotted two Mages sitting in chairs. He readied his bow with a steel arrow and then released. One of them fell to the ground as the other one got out of his chair and ran towards Durgon and Talen-Kur.

Durgon hopped in front of Talen-Kur and swung his Orcish warhammer right into the mages chest. The force was so great that it pushed the Mage into the wall behind him. Once the room was clear, Talen-Kur and Durgon continued up a wooden bridge that led to the highest level of the cave.

"The two people that were talking earlier," Talen-Kur began. "They're up here. I predict that we're almost out of the cave."

"This can't be their only hideout, then," Durgon replied. "That means there were only four of them here. I doubt they would attack Whiterun with just four people."

"Most of them are probably on their way to Highgate Ruins already." Talen-Kur gulped. "Come on, let's just get this job finished."

They entered the final section of the cave to find the two Mages sleeping in their beds.

"Perfect," Durgon whispered. "We don't even have to put up a fight."

They each shoved a dagger into one of their skulls.

"Gods," Talen-Kur said. "I don't feel good doing things like these."

"Hey." Durgon stepped close to Talen-Kur, then he pointed at him. "You have to remember that they are the bad guys. Killing one of them saves dozens of people. It's not murder, it's protection."

"You're right," Talen-Kur replied. "But...I don't know. That just felt like murder."

"It's time to leave our pasts, Talen-Kur. Right now, this group of mages is all we should be concerned about. Now we need to hurry and tell Brelusa what's going on."

They exited the cave through a door at the top that led back outside. It provided a nice view of Whiterun, but no way back down to the ground.

"Should we go back through? Or do some mountain climbing?" Talen-Kur asked.

"We're going mountain climbing," Durgon replied. "Who knows? Maybe more of their friends came back into the cave."

They carefully climbed down the mountain, making sure not to fall. It wasn't too high, so they made it down rather quickly. When they got to ground level, they ran as fast as they could back up to Dragonsreach.

Angnel and Brelusa stood in the same spot they were the last they saw them. "That was fast," Angnel said.

"Did you learn anything important?" Brelusa asked.

"They're meeting Slayer somewhere," Talen-Kur said. "At a place called High Gate Ruins."

"And they were planning to attack Whiterun," Durgon barged in.

"Why didn't they attack?" Brelusa asked.

"I think I know why," Talen-Kur said. "They would have been outnumbered if they attacked recently. I bet that's why they're at High Gate Ruins. They're probably planning the attack right this moment. We have to hurry there and disrupt them."

"We don't even know where these ruins are," Angnel said. "Let's ask a guard."

They hurried outside and ask a guard that was standing by the palace. "What is it?" He asked.

"We need to know where High Gate Ruins are," Brelusa said.

"High Gate Ruins?" The guard asked. "What makes a person want to go near that place?"

"Do you know where they are or not?" Durgon asked, frustrated.

"Calm down," the guard said. "They're south of Solitude. It'll take a while to get there."

"Thanks," Angnel told the guard. With that, the four friends exited the city gate and discussed their plans beside Whiterun Stables.

Durgon pulled out his map and revealed the location. "Solitude is all the way up there." He pointed his finger on the map. "By the time we get to the ruins, they'll be gone."

"No they won't," Talen-Kur said. "The people in that cave we're going to try and get there. I bet they're waiting in the ruins for as many people to come as possible."

"Then we have to hurry," Durgon said.

"We'll take the carriage to Morthal and walk from there," Brelusa said. "I think I can find the ruins if we get close."

"We'd like to hire your carriage," Angnel told the owner of the horse.

"Where would you like to go?" He asked.

"Morthal. We've got business to take care of."


	8. Chapter 8

It was pitch black when the group arrived at Morthal.

"So how do you expect to find the ruins, Brelusa? You know a spell or something?" Durgon asked.

"No. I was going to ask people around here, but I guess everyone's asleep," she replied.

"No. I was going to ask people around here, but I guess everyone's asleep," she replied.

"We can't just wait around," Angnel said. "I say we scout the nearest ruin and hope it's the one we're looking for. We don't have many options."

"Wait!" Durgon shouted as he examined his map. "Look." He pointed his finger to the northeast. "It has to be right there. Right on the edge of the swamp."

"What are we waiting for then?" Talen-Kur said. "We have to hurry."

As the group walked through the dense forest, they heard noises all around them. It almost sounded like footsteps.

"I feel like we're being followed," Brelusa said.

"I wouldn't doubt it if we are," Talen-Kur said back. "Maybe it's a good thing. It might mean we're close." He pointed a finger up a hill. "I smell smoke. I say we check it out. It could be the mages."

"Or just a hunter camping out here," Angnel told him.

"If I was a hunter, I wouldn't be camping by this nasty swamp. I'm going with him," Durgon replied.

They all decided to follow Talen-Kur up the hill. When they reached the top, they saw two mages burning a Nord to a crisp.

"Why?..." Brelusa began in disgust.

In a fury of rage, Durgon and Angnel readied their weapons and charged straight for them. Surprisingly, they killed the mages quietly and swiftly. Talen-Kur and Brelusa followed behind them and went to examine the burning body. The Nord wasn't dead yet.

His flesh was turned from white to a nasty reddish-black color. As he lifted his deteriorated head, he tried to speak. "They-" It looked painful for him to speak. "Kill them." He slowly raised his finger to the east, and collapsed onto the ground.

"Your command will come true," Durgon said as he gritted his teeth. "He pointed over there. I see ruins behind that small mountain. It must be High Gate."

"Wait," Talen-Kur said. "There's a house down there. Do you think it was the Nord's? We should kill the mages in there before we press on to the ruins."

"Agreed," Angnel said.

They rushed down the hill and approached the house. A Redguard woman was standing outside the doors. "Please...Leave me alone," she demanded.

"It's okay," Brelusa told her. "We're not with those Mages. What are you doing out here so late at night anyway?"

"All the ruckus woke me up," she replied. "Behind my house are these damned ruins. I bet these Mages are doing something in there."

Talen-Kur looked at her sharply. "These ruins," he began. "Do you know the name of them?"

"High Gate Ruins. Why?"

"We're going to stop the ruckus," Angnel told her. "Get inside and stay safe."

The Redguard went back into her house as the group walked around the mountain. They spotted the Ancient Nordic door that led into the ruins.

"What's the plan?" Talen-Kur asked. "We're going to be outnumbered. Are we going to attack or just try to find out their plans?"

"I'm attacking them regardless," Durgon said. "Let's head in."

"Wait," Brelusa commanded. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Angnel wondered.

"All of their thralls wear the same robes. If we kill them, we can take their clothes and throw them on. We'll disguise ourselves as them and see what they're up to," she suggested smartly.

"If we do that," Durgon began. "I don't want you to come with us. Slayer will know it's you. Stay and protect the Redguard. We'll take care of it."

"I suppose you're right," Brelusa said, disappointed. "I'll be out here when you're all finished."

With that, Talen-Kur, Angnel, and Durgon entered the ruins.

"Don't you think they'll be suspicious if the robes have blood all over them?" Angnel asked.

"Today's our lucky day." Talen-Kur opened a dresser and pulled out three pairs of robes. Each of them threw one on and continued through the ruins.

"Excuse me," Durgon asked one of the thralls. "Where is our master? I must hear his words."

"Through the next door, there's an open space. He should be speaking there soon. Hurry, though. Everyone is already in there," the thrall replied. Durgon had a hand on his weapon, indicating he was going to kill the thrall, but when he looked at Angnel, she shook her head at him telling him not to do it.

"This must be the door," Talen-Kur said. When he opened it, no one was in the area. It was empty.

"You almost get the feeling that this is a setup for an am-" Durgon was stopped.

"Ambush!" Angnel screamed as Mages flooded the room.

"Shit!" Talen-Kur screeched. "We can't take all of them on. Our only chance is to escape!" Ice spikes and fireballs were thrown at them as they tried to escape the ruins. They ran up the wooden staircase to the door that they had first entered. Angnel tried to push it open. "Dammit! It won't budge!"

Durgon pushed her out of the way. "Let me try." He pulled out his warhammer and smashed the door open. It also cracked his weapon in half. They got out, and a ward was placed on the door behind them. Someone trapped the mages inside the ruins. When they looked forward, Slayer had Brelusa in his grasp.

"You lead us here, didn't you?..." Angnel began.

"And I got exactly what I wanted," Slayer replied, still holding Brelusa.

Durgon screamed in rage and attempted to tackle Slayer, but he disappeared. He reappeared next to Talen-Kur. "Give up, fools," he said.

"Why do you even want her?" Talen-Kur asked. "What are you hiding?"

"I won't tell you anything." Slayer once again disappeared, and so did Brelusa.


	9. Chapter 9

"What do we do now? Surely he's gone to a place far from here..." Angnel said.

"If we can't kill him, we're killing his minions," Durgon replied. "I don't care if you two are coming with me or not. I'm finding a way back into the ruins and murdering each and every one of them."

"I'll go with you," Angnel told him as she unsheathed her sword. "Talen-Kur?"

He let out a big sigh. "As much as I hate killing people, I'll do it. They deserve death." They walked back up to the ruins and examined the ward.

"Brelusa isn't here to help us get through. Any ideas?" Durgon asked.

"I learned a few things about fire back in Hammerfell," Angnel said as one hand lit up in flames. She aimed it at the ward and let out a barrage of flames. "It's open. Let's hurry and get in."

Durgon paused as they entered the ruin. He grabbed a steel war axe inside to replace his broken war hammer. Angnel followed behind him with her Scimitar as Talen-Kur followed behind her with his bow.

"Where are they?" Durgon asked as he saw that most of the rooms were empty.

"I bet they're further inside. Let's press on," Angnel said. They followed the only path they could and it led to a door. When it was opened, there were Draugr on the other side.

"Damn!" Durgon shouted as he readied his weapon. He chopped the first Draugr and it did not fall at first, but after Angnel slit it's throat, it fell. Talen-Kur equipped his bow and killed the next Draugr, striking an arrow straight into its forehead.

Angnel stepped back as the next Draugr shouted at her. It was tougher than any they had fought before. "Fus Roh Dah!" It screeched as Angnel fell over. Durgon charged and slashed its neck, but it also shouted at him, pushing Durgon off his feet. Talen-Kur loaded arrow after arrow, trying to take down the Draugr, but it would not die. Durgon got back up and charged once more, this time striking the Draugr straight in the head, and it finally saw its defeat.

"Do you think these Draugr were here when the mages entered?" Durgon asked as he wipes sweat off his forehead.

"No," Talen-Kur replied as he checked the body to make sure it was dead for good. "I think the mages are further ahead and knew we were coming back for them. I think they brought these Draugr back to life."

"Then we have to keep moving," Angnel said as she continuously exhaled.

In the next room were small areas of water on either side, and a small bridge for the group to wander across. At the end of the bridge was a giant door.

"They're no doubt in there," Durgon said. "Are you ready? Help me push this door open?" They all huffed as the door bursted open. In the room sat two thrones, each holding someone in them.

Angnel rushed over to the thrones to see what she was dealing with. Inside of them were two dead skeletons. "The mages must be close. They must have planted these here." When they left the room, they heard a clank of bones.

Talen-Kur quickly spun around and shot an arrow, knocking one skeleton apart. He shot the other skeleton and it also fell down in one hit.

"You have some awfully quick reflexes," Durgon told him. Talen-Kur shrugged.

They continued through the ruins and found themselves standing atop a small square area. They began to hear voices.

"That Dark Elf's group is coming after us. We have to escape," A voice said.

"Those are the mages," Angnel whispered, as she began to walk down the staircase.

Durgon grabbed her before she could move. "Not yet," he said. "We have no idea how many of them there are."

"I'm not waiting to find out," she replied as she released from his grasp. Durgon sighed and followed behind her. Talen-Kur did the same.

At the bottom of the staircase stood four readied Mages. They blasted Talen-Kur with lightning as Durgon and Angnel charged at them. One of them was decapitated, and the other was stabbed. The other two fled by teleporting away. Durgon and Angnel rushed to Talen-Kur.

"Are you alright?" They asked at the same time.

"I'm-" Talen-Kur coughed. "I'll make it. A healing potion would be nice, though." In a chest in the middle of the room contained exactly what Talen-Kur was looking for. Angnel handed it to him as he gulped it down. He stood up and began to speak.

"I had another vision."

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but I figured it was a nice place to stop. Sorry for the cliffhanger, too! I've had some troubles updating lately because of my god awful wifi, so I wanted to make sure I got something out. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
